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Paul Manafort worked behind the scenes to weaken anti-Russia stance in the Republican platform

President Trump revealed highly classified information to the Russian ambassador and foreign minister in an Oval Office meeting.

Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Manafort met with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya during the campaign with the promise of receiving “dirt” on Hillary Clinton.

Trump personally helped prepare a misleading statement about the meeting with Veselnitskaya.

Trump said that he fired FBI Director James Comey over the “Russia thing.”

National Security Adviser Michael Flynn discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador and then lied about it to Vice President Mike Pence.

Flynn failed to disclose payments from several Russian organizations.

Kushner tried to set up a secret “back channel” to Russia during the transition.

Sen. Jeff Sessions talked twice to the Russian ambassador and then lied to the U.S. Senate about it during his confirmation hearings to be Attorney General.

These are just the facts from public reporting. It’s almost certain that Mueller knows much more.

When Muller was initially appointed, Republicans universally praised the lifelong Republican as fair and honorable. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, FBI Director Christopher Wray and former FBI Director James Comey are also lifelong Republicans. During the campaign, the FBI itself was known as “Trumpland” for its perceived hostility towards Clinton.

Now it’s Trump and his allies who are attacking the FBI. They’re obsessed with the idea that the FBI is part of a “deep state” conspiracy out to get him.

Trump is certainly acting like he’s guilty of something. We just don’t know what.

Perhaps the Trump campaign did conspire with Russia during the campaign. Perhaps Trump is worried that details of his financial transactions or tax returns will lead investigators to discover other crimes committed before he became president. Perhaps he knows that the more salacious details of the “dossier” are actually true.

But Trump should pay attention to what his press secretary said last year: When you’re attacking the FBI during a criminal investigation, you’re losing.

"No people can be great who have ceased to be virtuous."--- Samuel Johnson

Re: There is really only ONE question that really matters

It would have to be something illegal. The affair with a porn star has barely made the news. His other hideous behavior with women didn't bring him down. A pee tape isn't going to do it either. His base is an immoral mob and the GOP cowers at his feet.
I'm thinking money laundering.

My hopes are that we take the House and Senate in 2018, impeach Trump in the House, convict him in the Senate and throw him out of office. Pence becomes POTUS for a year or so and there's a vicious GOP primary that results in a Democrat in the White House. From there, various criminal investigations can begin about Trump's business dealings with Russians.
I know it'll never happen like this, but a fella can dream, can't he?

Re: There is really only ONE question that really matters

Only people in very serious denial can ignore the incredible number of contacts between Trump and/or his staff and transition officials... and considering that all four primary US intelligence agencies have stated outright, that the Russians have interfered with our elections... and CONTINUE to do so, it takes an amazing amount of willful ignorance to try to pretend that there is 'nothing there'.

I have no idea whether Mueller will be able to pin anything on Trump, personally... and it's already been made clear that he cannot, or will not, indict a sitting President. He CAN, however, name Trump as an un-indicted co-conspirator, if the evidence supports it.

It is my belief that, eventually, support for this circus clown in the White House will soften... as the evidence piles up. I've already seen enough to feel strongly that we are at the precipice of a serious constitutional crisis.

"No people can be great who have ceased to be virtuous."--- Samuel Johnson

Re: There is really only ONE question that really matters

It’s quite possible that Trump is as forgetful and disengaged as Reagan was with business relations on the edge of money laundering. In the specifics of transactions he could say “everyone does this, it’s not illegal” , and it may not be, but the overall sense will be a validation of what was known going into the election. Trumps loyalties are to Trump and the peer values that matter are the concerns of oligarchs, regardless of nationality.

Re: There is really only ONE question that really matters

Originally Posted by Rich Jones

My hopes are that we take the House and Senate in 2018, impeach Trump in the House, convict him in the Senate and throw him out of office. Pence becomes POTUS for a year or so and there's a vicious GOP primary that results in a Democrat in the White House. From there, various criminal investigations can begin about Trump's business dealings with Russians.
I know it'll never happen like this, but a fella can dream, can't he?

Slight correction. We take out Pence first, then the new Speaker of the Dem. house becomes POTUS.

Re: There is really only ONE question that really matters

Originally Posted by Canoez

Likely money laundering, huge financial indebtedness to Russians regarding business debts, and the fact that his net worth is probably negative.

I bet revelations of his net worth, and his hyperbolic valuations, are his greatest anxiety. That his potency is a tv show host playing a character. After that losing Ivanka and Jared do to their conflicts of interest. Trump and the GOP will understand.

Re: There is really only ONE question that really matters

Originally Posted by Norman Bernstein

I used to laugh at the notion of a 'pee tape'.... now I'm not so sure.

The Steele dossier alleges that the Russian government has incriminating information on the president that could make him susceptible to blackmail. Notably, it claims that Russia possesses a videotape featuring Trump getting prostitutes to urinate on a bed in a Moscow hotel room in which former President Barack Obama once stayed with first lady Michelle Obama.

This always seemed plausible to me given Trump's low character and his obsession with dissing Obama and his achievements.

"hahah, i'll laugh it up and troll it around in here for a few days... but i don't really care." -- AlanMc